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thyroid hormones

1. Rule out thyroid-impacting dental and/or sinus
infection. Find a biological dentist who can do a thorough
examination of your mouth with a low-level radiation
panoramic X-ray. Since many biological dentists also
specialize in mercury-free dentistry, have the dentist check
your mouth for mercury and/or high copper amalgam
fillings as well as for conflicting metal interference in your
mouth. Many offer a bio-compatibility blood test, which
assesses the most suitable dental materials, crowns,
glues, and cements for your unique system. Check out
the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and
Medicine online at iabdm.org to find a practitioner in
your area. Check with a local Ear, Eyes, Nose and Throat
specialist for sinus issues.

2. If you do find mercury or copper in your mouth, then
keep in mind that mercury and/or copper can be deadly to
the thyroid. They both incapacitate thyroid hormones and
impact metabolism. To fix this, go to glutathione. It is the
primary chelating agent to detox heavy metals. The best
way to accomplish this is with the Detox & Liver Health
Reg'Activ product. This product contains Lactobacillus
fermentum ME-3, which is a unique strain of probiotic
bacteria that produces glutathione in humans.

3. Substitute coconut oil whenever you can to nourish
the thyroid. Use the oil and all coconut-derived products
like full-fat milk, cream, and unsweetened coconut in
cooking, smoothies and desserts. Make macaroons your
sweet treat. There are many novel ways to get coconut in
your diet. Adding it to your morning cup of coffee or tea
will energize you from the get-go.

4. Get your thyroid checked. If you can't get a full thyroid
panel with a TSH, T3, T4, and T7, then do consider a
hair mineral analysis. The calcium to potassium ratio
that is revealed on that test can tell volumes about
the functioning of your thyroid and how it might be
contributing to your weight loss plateau.
Typically those with hypothyroidism have too
much calcium in relationship to potassium. And
those that need to rev up their thyroid may need more
potassium-containing foods and/or supplements.
Excessive amounts of calcium from dairy foods or
supplements tamp down thyroid activity. In contrast,
potassium can speed up thyroid activity. So load up on
potassium-rich spinach, squash, salmon and avocados.
By balancing the thyroid gland alone and supporting your
mineral balance, you can expect to finally jump off that
weight loss plateau!

5. Give up gluten. Completely eliminate gluten-containing
grains from your diet to naturally reset thyroid hormone
production. Wheat, rye, spelt, kamut, couscous, triticale
and barley should be avoided. Gluten-free alternatives
that I highly recommend are also grain free options as
well. These include the grain-like seeds such as quinoa,
amaranth, buckwheat and millet. Instead of flour,
consider using arrowroot or tapioca for thickening.
If you are really serious about weight loss, you
should also eliminate all other reactive foods—primarily
foods containing sugar and yeast, both of which often
accompany gluten.

6. Power up on protein. Consume at least 20 grams (as
found in three to four ounces of fish, poultry, or meat, a
serving of whey or vegan protein powder equating to 20
grams, about three eggs, and four ounces of fermented
soy). Protein boosts metabolism by up to 25 percent for
about 12 hours. They are the tissue and muscle builders
par excellence.

8. Address the adrenals. Well-nourished adrenal glands
will help to support a weakened thyroid so do consider
adrenal glandulars, which contain the RDA/DNA
blueprint for regeneration. In addition, or if you are
vegan or vegetarian, try adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola
and ashwaganda. Good old fashioned pantothenic acid,
which I learned to revere thanks to Adele Davis' books
that I voraciously read when I was in college in the '70s,
is a long forgotten godsend for worn out adrenals and
the inability to cope with stress. It can help to balance
the adrenal's output of cortisol, a major fat-promoting
hormone. In general, 500 mg up to four times daily,
either alone or in conjunction with the other adrenal
nutrients—can make a huge difference in energy levels.
So can more sea salt.

9. Pop some probiotics. High probiotic-containing foods
like yogurt and kefir contain millions of friendly bacteria,
but a well-balanced probiotic with a variety of different
strains including the gliadin protecting B. lactis BI-04—
will contain billions of probiotics. This is just what you
want to populate your microbiome. The right strains and
numbers of friendly flora will support thyroid function
and many other immune-enhancing processes.

10. Avoid fluoride, bromide, and chlorine like the plague.
Without sufficient iodine to kick them out, these three
chemicals can stockpile in your body and impede thyroid
function. So become a diligent label reader. A good water
filtration system, which blocks fluoride and chlorine, may
be essential for home use. About 2–3 mg of the trace
mineral boron can help to neutralize fluoride.

11. Seriously consider supplementation of vitamins,
minerals and amino acids that are thyroid friendly. Some
of these nutrients help the inactive T4 hormone convert
to the more activated T3 while others support overall
gland functioning. Typically, integrative practitioners will
suggest daily totals of 50 mg of a methylated B complex,
25,000 IU of Vitamin A, 400 IU of Vitamin E, 45 mg of
zinc, 18 mg of iron, 200 mcg of selenium, 500 mg or
more of tyrosine. There are also a variety of whole food
sources that will naturally provide all these nutrients, but
most likely not in the high enough therapeutic dosage
that a tired thyroid needs to heal.

When it comes to iodine, it is important to keep in
mind that iodine is able to restore balance whether the
thyroid is high or low, although in the case of Hashimoto's,
iodine may not be recommended.

While the recommended daily intake (or RDI) of
iodine for adults is 150 mcgs per day there are many
benefits to taking more, especially for women. In higher
amounts iodine acts as an adaptogen, a substance
that increases the body's ability to adapt to stress, and
plays a significant role in treating the thyroid as well as
preventing such disorders as polycystic ovary disease,
fibrocystic breast disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, cardiac
arrhythmia, hypertension and hormonal imbalances.
Iodine can also increase your stomach acid levels, which
will improve your digestion.

I like a supplement called Iodoral, which combines 5
mg of iodine with 7.5 mg of potassium iodine for a total
12.5 mg of iodine. Although this may seem like too much
of a good thing, it has done wonders in turning up the
metabolic fires of many hypothyroid sufferers.
The typical iodine sources that I used to recommend
would be sea veggies like hijiki, wakame, Kombu and
nori. However, since Fukushima I no longer recommend
them because I simply can't be assured that radioactive
residues, let alone mercury, is not an issue.

12. Don't be a victim of virus. Coconut comes to the rescue
again. The purified lipid extracts derived from coconut
oil turns out to be a virile virus killer. Look for products
called Monolaurin or Lauricidin. The amino acid l-lysine
can stop the virus from replicating along with a diet that
is low in lysine's antagonist amino, arginine. That means
you will need to limit all nuts, seeds and chocolate for
the time being to avoid too much arginine at the expense
of anti-viral lysine. Herbal viral remedies include cat's
claw (processed without the TOA chemical), lemon
balm, lomatium, osha, and/or olive leaf extract. These
are all available in either tinctures or capsules. Look
for tinctures preserved with non-GMO grape alcohol or
grain-free alcohol. Some individuals do very well with
colloidal silver—especially the advanced nano- based
ones now on the market.

Common uses include cancer and shedding

Selenium is a trace mineral that our bodies use to produce glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that serves as a natural
antioxidant. Selenium is also required for normal pancreatic
function and lipid absorption. Glutathione peroxidase
works with vitamin E to protect cell membranes from damage
caused by dangerous, naturally occurring substances known
as free radicals. Adequate amounts of selenium can spare vitamin
E, and adequate amounts of vitamin E can reduce the
selenium requirement. By ensuring that pets receive adequate
amounts of both E and selenium, these important nutrients
will not be deficient and will work together to help fight oxidative
damage in your pet’s body.

Selenium also has an important role in maintaining normal
levels of thyroid hormones and in the metabolism of iodine,
which is involved in thyroid hormone metabolism. Supplementing
the diets of pets and plant enzymes can increase
the selenium levels.

Therapeutic Uses
Many pets with excessive shedding will show decreased shedding
as a result of enzyme supplementation. This may occur as
a result of increased selenium levels and the impact selenium
has on thyroid hormones.

In pets selenium is often prescribed (along with other antioxidants)
for pets with a variety of disorders, including epilepsy,
inflammatory bowel disease, feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency
virus and cancer.

There is some real evidence that selenium supplements
can provide some protection against several types of cancer.
This chemopreventive effect isn’t fully understood. It might be
due to the protective effects of the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase,
but other explanations have also been suggested.

Scientific Evidence
A large body of evidence has found that increased intake of selenium
is tied to a reduced risk of cancer. The most important
blind study on selenium and cancer in people was a doubleblind
intervention trial conducted by researcher at the University
of Arizona Cancer Center. In this trial, researchers saw dramatic
declines in the incidence of several cancers in the group taking
selenium. The selenium-treated group developed almost 66
percent fewer prostate cancers, 50 percent fewer colorectal cancers,
and about 40 percent fewer lung cancers as compared with
the placebo group. Selenium-treated subjects also experienced
a statistically significant (17 percent) decrease in overall mortality,
a greater than 50 percent decrease in lung cancer deaths, and
nearly a 50 percent decrease in total cancer deaths.

Further evidence for the anticancer benefits of selenium
comes from large-scale Chinese studies showing that giving selenium supplements to people who live in seleniumdeficient
areas reduces the incidence of cancer. Also, observational
studies have indicated that cancer deaths rise when
dietary intake of selenium is low.

The results of animal studies corroborate these results.
One recent animal study examined whether two experimental
organic forms of selenium would protect laboratory rats
against chemically induced cancer of the tongue. Rats were
given one of three treatments: 5 parts per million of selenium
in their drinking water, 15 parts per million of selenium or placebo.
The study was blinded so the researchers wouldn’t know
until later which rats which treatment. Whereas 47 percent of
rats in the placebo group developed tongue tumors, none of
the rates that were given the higher selenium dosage developed
tumors.

Another study examined whether selenium supplements
could stop the spread (metastasis) of cancer in mice. In this
study, a modest dosage of supplemental selenium reduced
metastasis by 57 percent. Even more significant was the decrease
in the number of tumors that had spread to the lungs.
Mice in the control group had an average of 53 tumors each,
whereas mice fed supplemental selenium had an average of
one lung tumor.

Putting all this information together, it definitely appears
that selenium can help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Sources
Wheat germ, brazil nuts, other nuts, oats, fish, eggs, liver, wholewheat
bread, bran, red Swiss chard, brown rice, turnips, garlic,
barley and orange juice contain selenium. There is some concern
with conventional farming practices that mineral levels in
the soil are inadequate. This means that the soil used for growing
vegetables and fruits may be deficient in minerals such as
selenium. According to information from the Organic View, 1:17
(www.purefood.org/organicview.htm), there is great variability
in the nutrient contents of foods raised by industrial agricultural
practices when compared to organically raised foods. For
example, they report that in an analysis of USDA nutrient data
from 1975 to 1997, the Kushi Institute of Becket, Massachusetts,
found that the average calcium levels in 12 fresh vegetables declined
27 percent; iron levels dropped 37 percent; vitamin A levels
21 percent and vitamin C levels 30 percent.

They also report that a similar analysis of British nutrient
data from 1930 to 1980 published in the British Food Journal
found that in 20 vegetables, the average calcium content had
declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent.
In addition, a 1999 study out of the University of Wisconsin
found that three decades of the over use of nitrogen in U.S.
farming has destroyed much of the soil’s fertility, causing it to
age the equivalent of 5,000 years. Finally, a new U.S. Geological
Survey report indicates that acid rain is depleting soil calcium
levels in at least 10 eastern states, interfering with forest
growth and weakening trees’ resistance to insects. Findings
such as those reported here prompt many owners to search
for the most wholesome produce available to include in their
pets’ diets.

Check with stores in your area to see whether they offer
organically raised vegetables and animal meats. Also, ask
them what they mean by the term “organically raised,” as many
producers may make his claim but still use conventional agricultural
practices. Find out everything you can about the farmers
who supply the stores where you shop.

Since most of us have no way of knowing what kind of
soil our food was grown in, supplementing pets with selenium
and other vitamins and minerals may be a good idea.

The two general types of selenium supplements are organic
and inorganic. However, these terms have nothing to do
with “natural” but rather refer to the chemical form (the terms
have very specific chemical meanings and have nothing to do
with “organic” foods).

The inorganic form of selenium, selenite, contains no carbon
atoms and is essentially selenium atoms bound to oxygen.
Some research suggests that selenite is harder for the body to
absorb than organic (carbon-containing) forms of selenium,
such as selenomethionine (selenium bound to methionine, an
essential amino acid) or high-selenium yeast (which contains
selenomethionine). However, other research on both animals
and humans suggests that selenite supplements are almost
as good as organic forms of selenium, and both forms are
equally effective in supporting glutathione peroxidase activity.
In pigs, studies have shown that selenium stores in the
liver and muscle tissues were greater when organic selenium
was fed. Supplying selenium in whole food supplements is the
most natural way to supply selenium and is recommended for
maintenance.

Dosage
The AAFCO recommendation is 0.11 mg/kg of food (dry matter
basis) for dogs and 0.1 mg/kg of food for cats. However,
recent research in puppies has shown that the level of dietary
selenium needed to maximize glutathione and selenium levels
is 0.21 ppm, which is double current AAFCO recommendations.
Therefore, supplementation with a natural vitaminmineral
supplement containing selenium might be indicated
for all pets eating commercial diets.

Safety Issues
Selenium is safe when taken at the recommended dosages.
However, very high selenium dosages in people are known
to cause selenium toxicity. Signs of selenium toxicity include
depression, nervousness, emotional instability, nausea, vomiting,
and in some causes loss of hair and fingernails. Similar
precautions are probably warranted in pets taking supplements,
although toxicity has not been noted in pets despite
concentrations greater than 4 mg of selenium/kg of food in
cat foods containing fish or other seafoods. (Cats may be
able to tolerate higher selenium levels as their higher dietary
protein foods are protective against high selenium levels; the
low availability of selenium in pet foods may also contribute
to rare reports of toxicity in dogs and cats fed commercial
diets.)

I am saddened by the suicide of Robin Williams. I've dealt with depression on and off for years, and I was wondering if you have any natural suggestions for me to ask my doctor about?

—L.C., Gainesville, Florida

Answer: When I hear a person say they've battled depression "on and off" for a long period of time, I ask the question why it is on and off? Something you are eating, doing, or taking is impacting you so much so, that your mood is affected. Hormone imbalances are frequently the problem, especially estrogen and testosterone. Thyroid hormone is my specialty, and if it drops too low, you get depressed. When it moves into a healthy range, you feel happy and content. When I say "normal range" I don't mean the normal reference range indicated on your lab test. My opinion is that the so-called normal range is based upon a sick and hypothyroid population. This may explain why you feel terrible but your levels are "normal." I don't go by labs, I go by clinical presentation.

I adored Robin Williams, he was brilliant, and behind his smiling eyes and hysterical jokes, he battled depression for years. You may feel the same way as you read this today, and I am glad you're still holding on. Depression is one of those conditions that people judge. Here are some reasons for depression that you might explore with the help of your physician:

Hypothyroidism and hypoadrenia—I've mentioned this one already, however, I want you to get a copy of my Thyroid Healthy book so you learn how to test properly. Testing and treatment is the key to your happiness. Also, do not take thyroid medicine until your adrenal glands are strong and healthy. You may need to be supported adaptogenic herbs, a healthy diet, relaxation and other stress reducers.

The Pill—Synthetic hormones for birth control or menopause reduce your body's levels of B vitamins and minerals to the point where you cannot manufacture happy brain chemicals. A reduction in key neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin causes depression. It could be on and off as you describe.

Statins and Binders—We know these drugs reduce CoQ10, but do you realize they crash your ability to activate vitamin D? Ever heard of seasonal affective disorder or SAD? That is often related to low D levels so you might need D if you take cholesterol reducers.

Medications—Drugs mug life-sustaining nutrients. Ibuprofen steals folic acid, and diabetic drugs steal B12. Read my Drug Muggers book for more drug-induced nutrient depletions. If you take medications periodically, then you can't make neurotransmitters, then you deal with that "on and off" situation you describe.

Infections—Last on my list but huge news. Certain infections that we carry in our body can affect the brain. You can have bipolar, depression, insomnia and/or anxiety because of Bartonella, Lyme, syphilis, HIV, fungal infections (and their mycotoxins), herpes and many others. Clearing the infection improves mood better than any prescribed antidepressant.

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